But as an end user I don't have a choice, right? I need to use the config script chosen by the extension author? Sorry to be so dense about this stuff but ruby has been a lot of fun to learn...so I'm anxious to install and upgrade the program and any necessary extensions quickly and correctly. thanks rick hensh R> 2. On a related issue, as far as ruby extensions go, I've noticed 3 R> approaches. The distributions come with either 'setup.rb', 'extconf.rb', or R> a 'makefile'. I can't tell why one method is chosen over another. Can anyone R> help me out here? The best methods is perhaps to use one of 'setup.rb', 'extconf.rb' You can always generate a Makefile with these 2 scripts. If you give a Makefile it will be probably system dependant and work only for your configuration. Guy Decoux